Automobile accessory



June Z9, 1943. J. FISCHER 2,322,798

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSRY l Filed sept. 29, 1941 INVENTOH 'J7 JasfP/f scf/7?BY l ATTORNEY Patented June 29, 1943 i, UNITEDl STATES' PATENT OFFICEzszzass AUTOMOBILE acosssoar l.mepn Fueher, New York, N. Y. Applicationseptember ze, 1941, serien No. 412.116 s calme. (ci. 24a-22e) Thisinvention relates to new and useful improvements in clamp and bracketmeans comprising an automobile accessory for use in connection withmounting a rear vision mirror, or a thermometer, an ornament or otheraccessory n a vehicle body, as for example on an automobile or motortruck and the like, particularly on the door flange thereof.

Mirror brackets and other accessories of the type mounted on the doorflange of an automobile sometimes lack convenience in installation. Sometypes thereof are restricted for use on one side only of the car, or ifuniversal and thus capable of use on either the right or leit,door, theymay lack a positive anchorage on the door and become loose dueto thevibration of the car A imparted to the bracket means and its armsupporting a mirror or lamp or other accessory on the outer free endthereof.

This invention relates to a new type of auto-` motive accessory, withnew installation means, wherein my new accessory has an improved housingand clamp means which first is screw fastened in permanent position,against gasket means if desired, at the proper height on' the car-doorflange by one clamping means capable of use on either the right or leftdoor of the car, and thereafter an angular adjustment is made and isthen locked by another clamping means which adapts the accessory to theparticular door (right or left) selected for the installation. Thiscombined clamping means not only enables the purchaser of the-accessoryto more easily and permanently install vit on his car but it is alsofound that this new combination of a double clamping'means, for the doorflange and for setting the angular adjustment to the right or left sideof a car, possesses an advantage over prior devices having only oneclamping means for both purposes.

An object, therefore, of this invention is to producel an automotiveaccessory having new and useful door-'flange clamping means adapted tobe installed with a neat and close t on the door of an automobilewithout leaving an unsightly open space around the clamp housing,likewise without the necessity of drilling holes in the car, and whichevenly applies clamping pressure against the door flange with a minimumof strain upon the housing member within which is fitted or embraced apart of the door-flange clamping means, together with an/ angularadjustment clamping means adapting the accessory to be mounted on eitherside of the car, jthatis on the right or left door.

The accompanying drawing shows the principle of the invention andexamples thereof in its present preferred commercial forms, whereinFigures 1 thru 7 show a iirst form of the invention, and Figures 8 thru13 a second form thereof, the separate part shown in Figure 2 beingcommon to both forms. Figure 1 drawn to small scale illustrates theutility of the accessory clamp as manufactured for use on automobiles.

Figure 1 shows aportion of the left side and door of a moto; car withthis accessory, in the form of a rear vision mirror, mounted in serviceposition on the forward flange. or marginal edge of the door in closedposition.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a channel member in the form of anelongated yoke of general U-shape form in cross-section employed in bothexemplary embodiments of the inven tion.

Figure 3 shows a transverse sectional detail through the accessory clampon the line 3-3 of Figure 1, with both clamping means unscrewed andloosened, preparatory to installation.

Figure 4 is a view made on the line 4 4 of Figure 1 showing theaccessory clamp in rear ele- ;fation secured to` the door fiange shownin secf ion.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section made on the line 6-5 centrally ofFigure 1 showing both clamping means in a tightened condition, that isto say. a pair of clamping screws are tightened to anchor the accessoryon the door flange, and thereafter a clamping nut is tightened topermanently lock or iix the mirror in its angularly adjusted position.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the accessory clamp with its gasketremoved, thus looking into the inside open bottom of the housing memberwhich operatively carries the door-ange clamping means partially insidethereof.

Figure 7 also is a bottom view looking toward theinner surface of thedoor flange. The left hand dot-and-dash line indicates the door edge ofthe door flange on which the accessory clamp is mounted. and the rightdot-and-dash line indicates the car body or bead `up close to which thedoor edge swings into closed position. It is seen that this iirst formof the clamp may occupy substantially the entire space between themovable door edge and the stationary body.

'Il'he second form of mynew accessory clamp,

embodying certain of the principles and structure of the firstv form, isillustrated'inFlgures 8 thru 13 (including Figure2l and in one waypossesses an advantage over the first in requiring less space between`the movable door edge and the stationary body of the car to receive theclamp. Therefore, the second form will ht a door having less spacebetween its movable edge and the stationary body of the car. 'I'hiscontrast in space required for the two different forms of the inventionis seen by comparing the vertically aligned Figures 'l and 12, whereinit is noted that the clamp in Figure 12 occupies less of the spacebetween the door edge and car body edge, as represented by the paralleldot-and-dash lines.

Coming now to the views showing the second form of the accessory clamp,Figure 8 is a front perspective, after the fashion of Figure 1, exceptshown more nearly to actual size and with the n accessory arm brokenaway.

Figure 9 is a transverse section, on the line 9 9 of Figure 8, with bothclamping means loosened, and the clamp initially placed ink position onthe door iiange abutting its straight edge and ready to be tightenedthereon.

Figure 10 shows a longitudinal section as made on the line IU-IOcentrally of Figure 8, with the rst clamping means tightened on the doorange and the second clamping means tightened to lock the accessory armin final position of adjustment in angular relation.

Figure 11 is an open bottom view, that is, with the gasket omitted andlooking into the open bottom housing member.

Figure 1,2 is a bottom view of the second form of accessory clampmounted upon a car-door iiange, the edge of which is indicated by theleft dot-and-dash line, the car body edge or bead being shown bytheright dot-and-dash line. The two parallel dot-and-dash lines. showthe same spacing as in Figure 'I (first form), and it is noteworthy thatthis second form of clamp occupies a minimum of the space between thedoor edge and the bead or line of the car body.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the housing member of the second formof the invention; it is formed not only with an open bottom as in thefirst form but `also has an open front into which the Figure 2 yoke isfitted to constitute a part of the straight front wall means of theaccessory Clamp.

The description now to follow is directed principally to form I of theinvention (Figures 1-7) but the description and part numbers are appliedto form 2 (Figures 8-13) as to all features in common. The featureswhich characterize and distinguish the second form of construction willbe set forth at the end of this general description.

Referring further to the drawing, a corner portion of an automobile bodyB and a door D relatively movable thereon are shown in connection withthe description of this invention and one of its environments of use.The door .iamb bead or body edge is indicated at BE, while the door angeis indicated at DF, with latter having its marginal or extreme linearedge pointed outv at DE. The movable door edge DE swings in quite closeto the stationary body edge BE, and this relationship is noted inseveral views of the drawing. 'Ihe parallel dot-and-dash lines inFigures 'I and 12 also show this spacing between the door edge DE andbody edge BE, and in some automobiles this spacing is rather close.Therefore, a fixture or accessory clamp must be made to t the doorflange DF without striking the' door jamb body edge DE when the car doorD is closed.

Referring now to Figure 2, an elongated yoke or channel member I5 olgeneral U-shape form in cross-section includes a clamping jaw IIi and anoperating plate or hub means I'I. The jaw and plate are disposed inparallel spaced planes and are joined as one piece by a front integralweb or wall portion I5. The reference character I5 not only designatesthe yoke cr channelshaped clamping member as a whole but likewise itsfront integral or face portion. The three right-angle portions I5, I6and II are the same length and this yoke engages about the door flangeDF and reaches around and abu-ts the door edge DE, as later explained.The yoke elongated face I5 constitutes a portion of the front of thedevice in both forms of the invention. A screwthreaded or tapped hole I8is made at each endl of the yoke operating plate II'. This clampopera-ting yoke is somewhat longer than its depth and width; thus it hasan over-all elongated form.

A housing member likewise of elongated form is indicated as a Whole at20, this reference character also designating 'its top wall. Two endwalls 2l are included as a part of the housing.

Likewise, there is a front wall 22 and a rear wall 23. Thus the housingmember 22 has a top wall with -four side walls. The front Wall or face22 is a straight one to t the linear edge DE of the door flange, whilethe rear and end walls may vary in design and form. The bottom of thehousing 20 is entirely open, with its bottom means or smooth edge 24formed in a plane parallel to the 'top wall 2D. The housing 20 is longerthan its depth and width; hence it and the yoke I5 are comparable inthis structural aspect.

A gasket 25 may be made with a. perimeter to evenly t with the housingperimeter defined by its four walls. The gasket rests against the bottomedge means 24 of the housing so as to prevent this metallic edge fromcoming in direct contact with the paint and finish on the outer surfaceof the door flange DF. The gasket is of rubber or fabric or fibrouscomposition, and it may be adhesively applied to the housing bottom edge24 or left loose and inserted when installing the accessory on the car.

.The gasket 25 may be omitted if desired, but

it is common practice to use it under the housing adapted to seat andseal .against the outside surface of the door D, while the yoke plate I6described in Figure 2 constitutes the inner jaw adapted to bear againstthe inner surface of said door, as will more fully appear.

The yoke I 5 is mounted in the housing with the operating plate IIdisposed adjacent and parallel to the top wall 20, and this arrangementwill be found to space said operating plate away from the outer surfaceof the car door flange DF. 'I'he face or front integral yoke wallportion I5 is disposed in close operating and slidably iitted engagementwith or against the front wall 22 of the housing. Therefore, theclamping jaw I6 or the yoke is operatively positioned beyond the irenom' means n or n of che mmm and um lislin spaced parallel relationthereto.

' According yto the foregoing. the front wall 22 of the housing memberand the front integral portion i of the yoke constitute the extremefront of the accessory clamp. In order to get these two front portionsinto as closely compacted arrangement as possible, the front face orwall 22 may be made slightly thinner than the other walls of thehousing. In this way, the thickness of the two front wall portions 22and Ilare brought together and occupy a minimum of space or thickness intheir double wall relation at the extreme linear front of the accessoryclamp where the spacing condition may sometimes be critical or limitedin between the Adoor edge DE and body edge BE.

A pair of clamp-operating screws 21 are ernployed to actuate the yoke Ilfor moving it in and out relatively to the housing 2li.` A screw 21 `isplaced at each end of the housing and l mounted for free turningmovement through the topwa11 20. The threaded end of each screw .21operatively engages its screw hole I3 in the operating plate I1, andeach screw has a head 24 which seats against and reacts from the topwall of the housing. Thus by loosening the two screws 21, the yokeclamping Jaw Il can be moved outwardly to maximum spaced relation fromthe bottom of the housing. Conversely, by tightening the screws 21 itfollows that the clamping jaw i6 is drawn inwardly toward the housingbottom means, that is, the housing edge 24 and yoke plate i8 areforcibly moved toward each other and thus constitute coacting jaws.V

An accessory supporting arm 29` has its inner end externally screwthreaded at 30 with a clamping nut 3i operatively carried thereon. Theflat end face of the arm 29 is bored and tapped axially to receive anassembly screw 32, the head 33 of which rotatably sets within acounter-sunk aperture made centrally .within the top wall 24 of thehousing. This screw is inserted through the housing member and screwedtightly into the end of the arm for the purpose of permanently andloosely joining these two parts together for angularadiustment inrelation to each other, as in Figure 3 (likewise Figure 9) where thescrew head Jams against the end face'of the arm and locks therein but isfree in the housing top wall 20. In `this way, the screw 32, 33, joinsthe arm and the housing 20, without locking them together, so long asthe clamping nut 3i is turned back away from and out of clamping andlocking engagement with the housing.

In the operation and use of this accessory clamp, its two clamping meansare loosened up as shown, for example in Figures 3 and 9. The clampingjaw is then slipped behind the door flange DF and under an inside rubberweather strip not shown but usually secured along the inner side of thedoor D. The two screws 21 are then tightened to draw the clamping jaw iltoward the inner surface of the door flange F which also draws thehousing 20 toward the outer surface of the door. The front integralportion i5 of the yoke is tol be placed in close linear abutment withthe car door edge DE before the clamping jaw i3 is tightened; the yokeand door edge being straight match each other in linear contact. 'I'hescrews 21 apply a very great force to the clamping jaw il and force ittoward the housing bottom 24, 2l for gripping the door flange.

Any suitable automobile accessory or drivers 745A aid or safety device,such as a rear-vision mirror 34 (Figure i), is carried on the arm 24which` tends to weight the outer free end thereof and subject theaccessory clamp to vibration which might and frequently does loosen lesssecure devices. However, the two spaced screws 21 are located close tothe housing ends and exercise a powerful even pull on the yoke` il withthe result that the screw-clamp pressure is well distributed throughoutthe housing and a uniform area of clamping pressure exists throughoutthe length of the coacting Jaw means 24 and i3.

Also, since the clamp-operating screws 21, 2l are V arm 23 is thenangularly adjusted by oi'ientingv it slightly in relationto the housingmember. This angular adjustment is made for the purpose of bringing theouter end of the arm 29 and mirror or other device 34 into suitablevision alignment with the driver's seat or position inside the car.Thereafter the clamp nut 3i is screwed down with a wrench tightlyagainst the housing wall 2li (see Figures 5 and 10) in order to lock thearm in final position.

By the foregoing arrangement, it follows that this automobile accessorycanbe initially installed upon either the right or left door of a carwithout having to make the mirror-vision ad- Justment at the same timethe clamp is being attached. The pitch or angular position of the dooredge does not interfere with a choice of right door or left doorinstallation. The angular adjustment of the arm 29 in relation to thehousing 20 accommodates this accessory clamp to any door edge angle andto all makes and styles of cars 'which varysomewhat as to angle or pitchof their front door edges DE. l

The screw means 3l, 3i represented by th -l The accessory clamp shown`in Figures 1-8 'I'his second type of construction modies or alters theilrst formation of the accessory clamp in relation to the front wall 22of the housing member and the front integral yoke portion i5 heretoforedescribed. These two parts are now brought together in a compactrelationship more closely and evenly defined by the same plane than inthe first form of the invention. New reference numbers are employed inthe following description only as to the changes whichcharacterizeFigures -to 13; hence the previously used reference numbers apply to allparts heretofore described.

The front wall of the housing 2li is cast or molded with a rectangularcut-out 3B (Figure 13) which leaves along and narrow front wall or faceportion 31 at the upper portion of the housing instead of the full wallface 22 heretofore described. The cut-out 36 removes the front wall atthe lower part of the housing. This leaves the end walls 2| and rearwall 23 with the threesided bottom edge means 24 which is used with orwithout the gasket 425 to form the outer iaw of `useful automobileaccessory.

the accessory clamp the same'as heretofore described.

The same size and shape yoke I5 (Figure 2) is used in this second formof the invention. For deiiniteness, however, in description the frontwall or integral portion is designated |51. The yoke is iltted into thehousing member 210 with the front surface of the integral portion hidisposed in the same plane as the face portion 31 of the housing.Accordingly, the extreme front face or wall of the housing is designated31, Iii and it is noted that the forward or outer surfaces of these twomembers are in the same plane.

This modified front wall arrangement of the accessory clamp avoids thedouble wall thickness of the irst form of the device where the yoke walll5 slides in engagement with the front housing wall 22, a structuralfeature achieved by omitting the front wall 22 and substituting thereforthe straight integral portion l5, Iiia in the latter views of thedrawing. The result is that a more compact and thinner front faceformation is had for the accessory clamp, and it occupies less space(Figure 12) available between the door edge DE and body edge BE than inthe first form of construction (Figure 7).

In the second form of the invention, the yoke portion i5a forms themajor part of the ,front wall of the accessory clamp, the front ends ofthe two walls 2l and the front edge 31 of the top wall forming a smallerarea thereof; while in the iirst form the housing has a front wall whichin part covers the integral front I5 of the yoke. Both types have astraight front formation attained by mounting the housing and clampingparts in a compact front wall assembly which aligns with and fits evenlyto the straight edge DE of the door iiange.

This invention is presented to fill a need for a It is understood thatvarious modifications in construction, operation, use and method, mayand often do occur to those skilled in the art, especially afterbeneting from the teachings of an invention, and that this disclosure isexemplary of the principles but not limited to the present embodiment ofthe-invention.

What is claimed is: i

1. In an accessory clamp and bracket device having a housing the bottomof which is adapted to seat against 'the outer surface of an automobiledoor and make a closed-space flt thereagainst, means for securing thedevice on the door, comprising a channel-shaped clamping memberrelatively movable in .the housing with all three channel sides of equallength and adapted to engage about they edge flange of` the door, ascrew mounted for free rotation through each end of the housing andthreadedly engaged with each end of the channel member by which to applya gripping force at said ends to draw the housing and channel membertoward each other, an arm for supporting an accessory such as a mirroror the like extending outwardly from the housing midway between the tw`oscrews,

and here designated means mounting the arm for angular adjustmentadapting the device for use on either the right or left door, and a locknut screw-threaded onto the arm and engageable with the housing to fixsaid arm in its adjusted position, whereby the housing may be firstclamped on either door by the two screws and thereafter the arm adjustedand locked in position.

2. In an, accessory clamp and bracket device having a housing with fourwalls the bottom of which is adapted to seat against the outer surfaceof an automobile door and make a closedspace fit thereagainst, means forsecuring the device on the door, comprising a channel-shaped clampingmember relatively movable in the housing with all three channel sides ofequal length and adapted to engage about the edge ange of the door, oneside of the channel member being disposed in movable engagement with theinside surface of the front wall of the housing, a screw mounted forfree rotation through each endofthe housing and threadedly engaged witheach end of the channel member by which to apply a gripping force atsaid ends to draw the hous ing and channel member toward each other, anarm for supporting an accessory such as a mirror or the like extendingoutwardly from the housing midwaybetween the two screws, means mountingthe arm for angular adjustment adapting-the device for use on either theright or left door, and a lock nut screw-threaded onto the arm andengageable with the housing to fix said arm in its adjusted position,whereby the housing may b e first clamped on either door by the twoscrews and thereafter the accessory arm adjusted and locked in position.

3. In an accessory clamp and bracket device having a housing the frontside of which is open and the bottom of which is adapted to s eatagainst the outer surface of an automobile door and make a closed-spacefitA thereagainst, means for securing the device on lthe door,comprising a channel-shaped clamping member relatively movable in thehousing with all three channel sides of equal length as well asapproximately the length of the housing and adapted to engage about theedge flange of the door, one of the channel sides being movably disposedwithin the open front side of the housing, a screw mounted for freerotation through each end of the housing and threadedly engaged witheach end of the channel member by which to apply a gripping force atsaid ends to draw the housing and channel member toward each other, anarm for supporting an accessory such as a mirror or the like extendingoutwardly from the housing midway between the two screws, means mountingthe arm for angular adjustment adapting the device for use on either theright or left door, and a lock nut screw-threaded onto the arm andengageable with the housing to fix said arm in its adjusted position,whereby the housing may be rst clamped on either door by the two screwsand thereafter the accessory arm adjusted and locked in position.

JOSEPH FISCHER.

